Dems Call Out Campaign Mailer
The Democratic Party of Orange County (DPOC) has sent a cease-and-desist letter to District 6 City Council candidate Scotty Hong and Irvine Mayor Larry Agran over a joint campaign mailer sent to District 6 voters. The cease-and-desist alleges that the mailer falsely suggests official Democratic Party support of both candidates.
The mailer promotes Proposition 1, a state housing bond measure, and urges recipients to “Vote Democratic.” A gold seals on the mailer reads “Supported by the California Democratic Party.” A disclosure identifies both candidates’ campaign committees as paying for the mailer.
In its October 20 letter, DPOC says neither candidate has the county or state party’s endorsement in their respective races. The party has endorsed incumbent Councilmember Kathleen Treseder in District 6 and has made no endorsement for Irvine mayor. According to the DPOC’s letter, county party endorsements in local races also constitute California Democratic Party endorsements under the state party’s bylaws.
“Support from individual Democrats does not constitute support from the California Democratic Party or DPOC,” the letter states.
The party argues that describing a candidate as “supported” rather than “endorsed” does not resolve a false impression of official backing.
In a press release, DPOC Chair Florice Hoffman accused the candidates of “lying to voters” and said the party would work to ensure District 6 Democrats know Treseder is its endorsed candidate.
The letter demands that both campaigns stop distributing the disputed materials. It also asks campaigns to send a correction to all of the recipients of the disputed mailer through a comparable method. It requests written confirmation within 24 hours of receipt that distribution has stopped, along with a timetable for a correction.
DPOC Chair Florice Hoffman told The Vine on October 22 that the party had not heard back directly from either campaign.
Party representative Jason Mills confirmed that no lawsuit has been filed.
Neither Agran nor Hong responded to The Vine’s requests for comment by publication.